Faces & places in the country

Rocket and Alida Fischer

Alexandria, Douglas County

Tell us about your farm. Our property used to be a working cattle farm, but since we bought it in 2000, we call it a hobby farm. We have close to 30 acres. We used to plant alfalfa, but now we rent it to the neighbor down the road, who farms corn and soybeans. We have a beautiful German shepherd and two Yorkies on the farm, which we love. We had horses for a time — a mare, a mini and a mini-mini — but we gave them to a family friend whose five children could pet them every day and love them. We also had chickens on the farm for seven years, but that was enough. Now, we don’t have any farm animals.

What are moments during the year that you really cherish being on the farm? My favorite moments on the farm are during harvesting and canning season, which keeps me busy and is very rewarding. Not having horses and chickens anymore lets us get away for vacations when we can, but we always enjoy coming back home the most.

What are some accomplishments you are proud of? We are proud of our place overall. We love living and working out here in the country. We built a shed from the old barn wood, and now, it holds my antiques. We also got a corn crib from our neighbor down the road, and we turned it into a memorial garden space for Rocket’s daughter, who passed away at age 29 of cancer. I have decorated almost every part of the farm with flowers and gardens and have even made my own barn quilts. We keep up with maintenance on the outbuildings and the lawn. It’s a passion. We work hard and love to host our friends and family. And when our family comes, they never leave empty-handed. We grow sweet corn and a large vegetable garden. Being able to eat out of the garden all year long and sharing the bounty is the best part.

Tell us about your daily routine on the farm. I work full time at The Pro-Ag Country Store in Alexandria. I go in early so I can have the afternoon and evening hours to tend to my gardens. Rocket is retired now, and he still tinkers with projects in his garage, but mostly, we garden. Rocket helps me with everything. When I get home, I play with the dogs and then water when I need to. Weeding with this summer’s heat has been a chore; we can hardly keep up.

We grow dill, carrots, raspberries, sweet corn, Indian corn, potatoes, 52 tomato plants, cucumbers, peas, beans, 270 plants in the asparagus patch, onions and rhubarb. I freeze sweet corn and make salsa, bloody mary mix and stewed tomatoes to last us through winter. There is always something to do in the garden in the summertime.

What is the hardest and best part of your day? The hardest part is leaving home, and the best part is coming back. We just love it out here; we were just on vacation, and we left early to come back home. We mow when we need to mow, can when we need to can, and play with the puppies.

What motivates you on the farm? Chores always motivate me. I enjoy staying busy. I have to keep moving. If I had to do this all by myself, it wouldn’t be fun, but Rocket helps me all the way. We put up 36 feet of cattle fencing to protect our tomato plants, our beans, peas and cucumber plants from the wind.

What do you hope the next five to 10 years look like on your farm? We love it; we’ll keep doing this as long as we can. Even though there are no kids at home on the farm anymore, every time they come home, they leave with something. I plant a third of the garden with flowers for the bees, and anybody who wants to come pick a bouquet can come and have at it. I love to share my zinnias, cosmos and sunflowers.

What words of wisdom do you have for future generations of farmers? Stay active and do what you enjoy. We work hard because we enjoy eating out of the garden. Being able to share vegetables, flowers and apples with friends and family is one of the best parts. Organic products are everywhere today, and it’s the only way — nothing poisonous ever. I fertilize, and if I have to treat a plant because of a worm, Spinosad is my go-to. It’ll drop a bug no problem.